Life as we knew it
by NightRainStorm
Summary: Emily, a fifteen year-old mother, is going to be unwound. That's the last thing she wants. So she runs. She never expected to get caught.


AN ~ Hey people! This is my first Unwind story…so…yeah. Cut me some slack! Anywho, enjoy!

Disclaimer – If I were Neal Shusterman, I wouldn't be on this Fanfiction, now would I? I own Emily, Braedon, Sandy, etc. But other than that, I don't own squat.

Chapter 1

"Goodnight, my love." I whispered to the curly-haired angel in my arms. I kissed her forehead and lay her down in the soft, white blankets that covered the bottom of her crib. Backing away slowly, I turned off the light and closed the door softly.

"Emily." said a voice from behind me. I whipped around to find myself face to face with my parents. They had a sad look on their lined, tired faces.

"Yes?" I whispered, careful not to wake the baby.

"We need to talk." My father murmured. I flinched at the ice in his words.

"Okay." I said warily. My parents hadn't spoken a word to me ever since Sandy was born. I wished with all my heart that they had finally forgiven me for getting pregnant with the boy they specifically told me to stay away from, but my brain and eyes knew different.

I followed them down the beautifully furnished staircase, hands shaking. Braedon had told me only the day before that his parents had signed the unwind order for him. It was scary to think that I may be following him to our doom. My mother and father sat down on the couch in front of me, blue eyes looking up expectantly.

"Sit down, please." My mother murmured. I sat opposite of them, my back straight and my hands in my lap, just as mother taught me.

"We've spoken to the…Kwasniak family…and we've come to a unanimous decision." My dad said in a low tone. He said Braedon's surname like it was a curse word and he was in grade school. It didn't matter. I knew what was coming next.

"You're unwinding me." I choked. It was still shocking. I felt I was in some sort of nightmare. _No…no it can't be…_

"Emily, you broke our rules. We told you to stay away from that Kwasniak boy, and you didn't. Hell, you had his child!" my father's wild temper started melting through his cold exterior.

"How many times can I tell you that I'm sorry? I love him! I can't help it!" I was standing now, fury fueling my poison-filled words. "I'm not perfect!"

"Exactly." My father snarled. I flinched, tear filling my eyes. I took a step backwards, then another. My mother, who hadn't said a word throughout the ordeal, stood.

"Emily…" she murmured. She was crying too. She reached a hand towards me, but my father pushed her back.

"I hate you." I hissed, the tears spilling over and down my cheeks. Without looking back, I sprinted up the stairs and into my room. Remembering Sandy at the last second, I closed the door softly instead of slamming it, like I had wanted to.

I collapsed on to my bed, sobs making my chest heave. When crying wasn't enough, I resorted to punching my pillow with as much force as I could muster.

I sniffed and sat up. The alarm clock on my bedside table read eleven P.M. Sniffing again; I reached over and curled my fingers around the cold metal of my cell phone. I flipped it open and began scrolling through pictures until I found the most familiar face.

Braedon.

His curly brown hair stuck up in a few places, and his green-blue eyes smiled up at me from the small screen. I smiled slightly, and then pressed the talk button.

It rung once. Twice. Three times. Braedon picked up on the fourth ring.

"Emily?" the voice was tired. "What's up?"

"My…my parents…" I could barely recognize my voice. It was too raspy and whispery.

"What's wrong?"

"Th-they signed it." I choked, tears welling back up into my eyes. Braedon was silent.

"…..I'm so sorry." He murmured. We were both quiet for a moment. I listened to his breathing, the only thing keeping me from losing total control.

"Braedon?"

"Yeah?"

"….I'm going to run away."

"…..what?"

"Run away. I don't want to be unwound."

"Then I'm coming with you." There was a stubborn note in his voice, and I knew I couldn't change his mind.

"We'll leave tomorrow night, after our parents are asleep."

"Okay." I murmured. My heart was beating wildly in anticipation.

We were going AWOL.

…..

AN – Sorry it was so short. I kinda suck at long chapters.


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